Latin America prays for Pope Francis, the region’s first pontiff
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Among the faithful, people said they felt kinship with Pope Francis, who became the pontiff in 2013. He was admitted to hospital on Feb 14.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
BUENOS AIRES – People across Latin America prayed for Pope Francis, the first leader of the Catholic Church to come from the region, as the Vatican reported on Feb 22 that the Argentina-born pontiff was in critical condition in a Rome hospital.
Catholics from Mexico to Argentina and the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts attended masses, lit candles and said prayers individually for the pope’s recovery.
“We ... pray for him with trust in God and pray for his health with joy,” said Argentinian priest Adrian Bennardins. He praised Pope Francis for making the global Catholic Church “closer, simple, fraternal, without leaving anyone out”.
About 54 per cent of Latin Americans identified as Catholic in a 2024 survey by Latinobarometro that interviewed people in 18 countries, down from 80 per cent in 1995.
Among the faithful, people said they felt kinship with Pope Francis because of cultural affinity.
“Since he’s a Latino, he speaks our language, and he shares the feelings of the Latino community because we come from a similar culture,” said parishioner Grisel Jimenez, who was attending mass at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
Pope Francis, who became the pontiff in 2013, was admitted to hospital on Feb 14.
He began his career as a Jesuit priest in Argentina, and later served as Archbishop of Buenos Aires and a cardinal.
In Buenos Aires, a picture of the pope with the phrase “the city prays for you” was being projected on the city’s famed Obelisk at night from Feb 21 to Feb 24.
Argentina issued a nationwide call earlier in the week to all “villas” and “barrios” – poor neighbourhoods and towns – to pray for the Pope.
Mr Gabriel Indihar, 50, heeded the call, believing in the power of collective prayer.
“When the community prays together, it has greater reach to God so he can make these miraculous transformations,” Mr Indihar said. “That is the request we make for the pope.”
In neighbouring Brazil, the largest Catholic country in the world, people also joined prayers.
“As a Catholic, it’s not just about worshipping Christ, but also praying for the pope, praying for our church and praying for the world,” said church-goer Helio Martins Da Silva in Sao Paulo. REUTERS
